ADULT CLASSES
Sharing great stories and enriching lives is our passion and we are committed to ensuring we continue to do this for all our classes as much as possible during these unprecedented times. Classes have now been re-configured for online delivery, and we will give you full details as to how this works when you register. Contact the Education Team if you have any questions.
We will continue to assess the situation as it progresses and will start classes in their usual venues, as soon as it’s safe to do so. Thank you for your co-operation, support and understanding. (updated 20 April 2020)
Adult Classes
Need a new challenge? Looking to make some new friends? Feeling inspired to get to know Shakespeare a bit more? Our adult classes are the perfect way to introduce, or rediscover, the inspiring world of The Bard. Together we'll explore why his remarkable plays are still being performed 400 years on.
THE BARD’S NOT THAT HARD
Delivered by theatre professionals, with regular visits from our main-house production’s creatives and actors, GSC’s practical evening classes are designed to help you discover The Bard in a fun and supportive environment.
Over 10 weeks, we explore Shakespeare’s great plays through close reading, group discussion and practical exercises in our professional rehearsal room. Each term culminates in a celebration of the term’s discoveries with wine and friends.
“We look at Shakespeare’s choice of words, their sound, their order on the page and the visual images created – this helps create a deeper understanding of the work and also gives you an insight and appreciation into Shakespeare’s skill as a writer.” Class Member
The Bard's Not That Hard meet on a Tuesday evening, 7pm - 9pm, in the rehearsal room at GSC HQ. No experience of Shakespeare or acting necessary and all ages welcome. This is not an acting class but there will be tea and biscuits! Just bring yourself and a desire to learn.
“I am able to appreciate and enjoy productions of Shakespeare better.” Class Member
TBNTH @ HOME WITH FRAN [AND SPECIAL GUESTS]
"...your approach to leading these sessions is fantastic... I truly believe you’ve balanced the art of intellectualizing text but bringing it back to practicality. So thank you, you’re doing an amazing job. Also, what a lovely group of people. Such rich insight! Delighted to be a part it for the next 9 weeks." New online participant
Summer Term 2020: The Tempest
21 April - 23 June
Online via Zoom, Tuesdays 7-9pm
Apply online
Often considered as Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest is a dream for discussion and exploration. Grapple with its epic themes of power, parenthood, revenge, colonialism and meta-theatre.
Join your friends and fellow ‘Barders’ each week, as we explore this wonderful play together through our usual close reading, group discussion and practical exercises.
GSC creatives will join us throughout the term, providing insight into Shakespeare’s life and death, the world around him and how he matured as a writer. The guests will share their personal approach to the play as actors, directors, producers, designers, adaptors and marketers.
"I think it's a great idea to study the plays that GSC are planning to perform. Seeing the play whilst we are studying it really brings it to life, and I love learning from people who are actually working on the show." Class Member
Spaces are strictly limited, so apply now to avoid disappointment. Simply fill in the online form below and pay the deposit to secure your place.
Apply online
Course Fee: £160
Future Terms*
TBC
*All date subject to change.
ADAPTING FOR THE STAGE
ADAPTING FOR THE STAGE
With Ant Stones, GSC’s Associate Playwright
Ever wanted to be a playwright? Ever read a book and wondered how it might work as a play? Ever wondered how an adaptation is taken from the page to the stage? Now’s your chance to find out…
GSC presents a new online course, designed to guide you through the adaptation process. Over 8 online sessions, Ant will guide you through his own writing process, the GSC style of working and the building blocks of adaptation.
The Producer’s Brief: Each playwright has been commissioned to write a short play (no longer than 15 minutes) to be performed as a part of a special night of readings celebrating classic literature. These plays can be condensed versions of the whole story, or chosen extracts. The choice is yours…
You’ll begin by choosing a classic text, work on exercises at home between sessions, write two drafts of your script (maximum of 15 minutes long) and receive one-on-one feedback. At the end of the course, we’ll all come together in a quarantine free world for a special reading of the scripts by professional actors.
Session topics will include:
- Choice of story or extract
- Plot and structure
- World creation
- Character realisation
- Exposition
- Dialogue
- Receiving notes
- Rewriting
- Preparing for performance
Lift your spirits and learn a new skill with this very special class. Grab a quill, typewriter or (most likely) your laptop and join Ant from the comfort of your own home, with a cup of tea or glass of wine.
Dates
Sessions 1-4: Mondays 7-8.30pm, 4 - 25 May
One-on-one sessions: Week commencing 1 June
Session 5: Monday 7-8.30pm, 8 June
One-on-one sessions: Week commencing 22 June
Session 6: Monday 7-8.30pm, 29 June
Location
Online.
Fee
£180
Suggested Choice of Texts
NB: All texts must be out of copyright for performance reasons.
- Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
- Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Ant's work for GSC
GSC STAGES
Join Guildford’s award-winning professional theatre company for GSC Stages, a new programme for anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of theatre-making.
GSC Stages is split into short courses, with each one led by a different practitioner, within GSC’s professional rehearsal room. Over 12 years, GSC has worked with a variety of creatives and practitioners - including directors, actors, producers and designers – and for the first time course members will be able to learn from their unique and practical masterclasses on theatre skills.
Each course can be joined separately, allowing members to gain a selection of professional insights and explore a variety of techniques through individual and group exercises. All ages and levels of experience are welcome and refreshments will be provided.
Details of future courses will be placed here.
Contact
If you would like more information, please contact us. [email protected] 01483 301590.